The nation’s major mortgage banks have met their obligation to help provide $20 billion in relief to struggling homeowners, imposed in a settlement over faulty mortgage practices.

The banks — Bank of America, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Ally Financial — agreed in 2012 to provide $20 billion in mortgage relief in the form of debt forgiveness and refinancing assistance. Settlement monitor Joseph A. Smith Jr. said Wednesday he had audited and certified the banks’ self-reported numbers and submitted his approval to the U.S. District Court in Washington.

Because different types of relief were credited at different rates, the banks ultimately provided $60 billion in aid, including $467 million in Oregon.

Most of the relief came in the form of forgiven second-lien debt — which was unlikely to be collected in many cases, but which can be an obstacle to other foreclosure-avoiding measures — and in short sales, in which the bank accepts the sale price of the loan to pay off the mortgage, even if it falls short of the amount owed.

“Because of the way this landmark agreement was designed, an unprecedented amount of relief has been provided to consumers quickly and efficiently,” Smith said in a statement. “Furthermore, I believe the rigorous testing process should justify public confidence that the banks have fulfilled their relief commitments and that the settlement has played a part in helping keep struggling borrowers in their homes.”

The consumer aid was just part of the settlement. The banks also agreed to new lending rules designed to address common complaints in the way banks handle foreclosures — among them slow decision-making, paperwork delays and failures to communicate with homeowners.

In a December update, Smith said the banks “still have additional work to” to live up to those rules. His next report to the U.S. District Court will address whether their behavior has improved.